Followers

Sunday, October 28, 2012

KOREAN MUSIC: Lee Hi (Lee Hayi) Updates (9)

Lee Hi's Debut Single "1.2.3.4" Unveiled

SBS's "K-pop Star" Season 1 runner-up Lee Hi just released her debut single "1.2.3.4" today (Oct. 29 (KST), Oct. 28 (US Time)). The song was created by Choice37 and Lydia Paek, YG's in-house producers, and its lyrics were written by the rapper Masta Wu. Choice37 also participated in writing Big Bang's "Bad Boy" and G-Dragon's "One of a Kind" and Lydia Paek (of Quest Crew) is a writer of 2NE1's "I Love You" and Park Bom's "Don't Cry."

YG Entertainment, her label/agency, promised that she had completely transformed her music as well as her look, beyond anyone's expectations, and her fans had been eagerly awaiting the release of her song/music video, the genre of which is known to be retro-soul. And voilà! Here's the music video of her debut single. (Please scroll down to see its English lyrics.)

In an interview he had with Star News yesterday (Oct. 28), YG (Yang Hyunseok) said he had become fascinated with Hi's twisted charm while producing her debut single. "As she's had no dance training ever, her dance moves in her music video will give fresh charm (to all her metamorphoses)," said he. The twist he sees in her is that her voice is really mature for her age (16 (Western age), 17 (Korean age)) yet her cute appearance exactly shows her age. He said, "When she danced to 2NE1's "I Am the Best" on her first "K-pop Star" stage, we the judges all laughed 'cause she was really cute. I saw there was more to her than just her cuteness. Something that is beguiling, as epitomized in her debut single."

Actually, I still remember how YG reacted to Hi's dance: "You danced like you got two left feet but I really like you - your confident look and sassy gestures. You must have been really nervous (but it didn't show)." Let us now watch her first "K-pop Star" stage, which brings a smile to my lips every time I watch it.

Lee Hi sings Jazmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Window" @ 0:44

and dances to 2NE1's :I Am the Best" @ 2:25.(Aired on 12/11/11)

So how much do you think she's changed? Do you agree with the direction she's heading in?

ENGLISH LYRICS: 1.2.3.4

Hey, c’mon now!

I said, 1, 2, 3!

Stop kidding yourself by thinking I'm still yours.

I'm not the girl I used to be.

A flower has bloomed at the sound of morning dawning

but why can't you snap out of it?

(Refrain) ## I’m sick and tired of your hypocrisy.

Sloppy liar, ooh! Will you get lost already?

I think I’m going, going crazy, ooh!

I think I’m going, going crazy, ooh!

Don't look so miserable!

Please disappear, far away from me.

No, no, Nananananana!

Don't cry; it's pathetic.

Please forget everything forever

(=Please kiss everything goodbye), no, no.

Listen!

Don't worry about me and mind your own business.

I don't need your pity, uh!

I said, 1 and 2 and 3, 4 , ooh!

Time will fix everything.

1 and 2 and 3, 4, ooh!

Game over, game over, ooh!

Game over! ##

A girl like me is almost impossible to find.

I'm sometimes sexy and sometimes innocent

and it makes men surrender so childishly.

(Refrain)

I'm so hurt.

You seem to have forgotten me already.

Hey baby, please leave me.

I said, 1 and 2 and 3, 4 , ooh!

Time will fix everything.

1 and 2 and 3, 4, ooh!

Game over, game over, ooh!

Game over!

1 and 2 and 3, 4!

1 and 2 and 3, 4!

1 and 2 and 3, 4!

Game over, game over, game over!

=======================

Music by Choice 37 & Lydia Paek

Lyrics by Masta Wu

Translation by ONSEMIRO

UPDATE 1: Summary of Two YG Interviews

YG said in today's interview that in her debut single and music video, Hi showed her fans everything she has in her at this point. He didn't even try to sugar coat or hide her weaknesses - she's a clumsy dancer. He didn't even think about making her have dance training. For Lee Hi is a soulful singer and clumsy dancer at the same time and they wanted her fans to take her the way she is. He said he was proud of her 'cause her song is doing great when she is not a typical K-pop idol star. He said today's K-pop industry is pretty much all about dance music or ballad and the fans are thirsty for a different type of music/singers with new content. He said he really appreciates just how much K-pop fans acknowledge their effort. (Sources: Star News & Dispatch)

Here's my summary of this blog post: The blogger first compared Hi's song and Jimin's and Ayeon's ballad song. He said Jimin and Ayeon made the best possible choice when they chose to sign with JYP 'cause it is the mecca ballad label/agency in S Korea. Comparing the fans' response to each singer's debut song, as of now, Hi's debut can safely deemed most successful of three. Of course, it was Hi's strengths and charms that made it happen. But here, we have to appreciate YG's role and effort 'cause it seems they have prepared everything for her (debut). From her collaboration with Epik High to their marketing efforts to provoke curiosity. But most of all, they had her debut single custom-made to maximize her soulful voice and her vocal ability and style. Especially the part in the middle of the song where she sings with no accompaniment is absolutely something to remember. I think this part is irresistibly captivating.

In short, I think Hi and YG are a match made in Heaven and her voice that's different from Park Bom's will be a great addition to YG's 'cause they have one more singer to feature on the albums of other YG artists.

UPDATE 3: Two Behind-the-Scenes videos Released

Making of the "1,2,3,4" Music Video (English Subtitles)

Album Cover Shoot

UPDATE 4: YG Interviews with OSEN about Hi's stage debut (11/3/2012)

YG said in his interview with OSEN that he had cancelled his planned trip to Los Angeles to help Hi prepare for her stage debut on SBS's Ingigayo, scheduled to air on November 4. He was originally planning to meet Psy he hasn't seen for a while and also watch Big Bang's concert. He revealed he has an exceptional attachment to Hi as if she were his daughter. He said, "Had I gotten married a little earlier, I might have had a daughter her age." "As I said at the K-pop Star finale that she was the number one in my heart, I have strong convictions about her talent," added he.UPDATE 5: Lee Hi SBS Ingigayo Debut Stage (11/4/2012)Hi is really a cute, adorable, confident, and great singer!

UPDATE 6: Lee Hi Wins Mnet's Countdown Award (11/8/2012)

UPDATE 7: JYP & YG on Hi, Jimin, and Ayeon (11/9/2012) (News Link)
JYP said, "When I watched Lee Hi's (music video and stage), I thought YG could call himself tiptop. He produced her song by extracting her essence that is uniquely Hi. Strangely, I adore Hi, Jimin, and Ayeon all, even without thinking about the agencies/labels they signed to. They are all lovely and I'm unconditionally rooting for them."

YG said, "The fans may consider them rivals. But as I once said to Ayeon that I wanted to join her fan club, I still like her. And also, I still remember how Jimin affected the public. I hope you don't consider them competition. Honestly, we couldn't even start competing 'cause JYP had stayed in the Middle East for two months. We consider one another family and just like JYP gave his song to SE7EN, I can always ask for his help."

I like it. As with most of L-Hi's songs, the first time you hear/see it, you think "that's nice"...and then the addiction sets in. Her voice is great throughout. My favorite part of the MV is the last scene in the polka-dot top. That's when I see the distinctive L-Hi expressions and quirky charm the most.

It's one song, so it can't be all things to everybody. But it's a great tune and the VOICE....just amazing, as always.

It definitely leaves me looking forward to more and given her versatility, I imagine there will be a lot of variety ahead.

It's growing on me, and in my ear like an ear infection!...LOL. I Loved It! That finger pointing gesture she makes, i don't know anyone in kpop who does that better than she does, it's definitely Hayi's signature move...(cute, but so funny.) Hayi's persona: Awkwardness - We know, and do expect it, until she becomes completely comfortable. (Being Spiteful)...it's already a hit, and better than the winner of Kpopstar Season 1...LOL. I was not disappointed. The only issue i had with the video, is that i think YG should've had her in more fun, but age appropriate outfits. The one with the stars on it, was a little too mature. Hadn't told you in awhile, but thank you Onsemiro for all your hardwork, this is quickly becoming the best Korean blog on the net!!! Will there be an official website in the near future?

I don't personally think it's that much better than PJM's song. Melody wise, PJM song wins in my ears. I know it's a different genre altogether, I just don't like songs that has stagnant notes for most of it regardless of genre.

KPOPANTZ, I agree with you 100%. I prefer to comment on here as opposed to youtube because I feel like the people who come to this blog actually get IT. You have to appreciate Hayi as an entire package; her awkwardness is exactly what MAKES her. If she had debuted and there was none of that hayi-awkwardness that we all know so well...I would've been disappointed. She's a shy girl but her voice and movements speaks volumes.

I noticed that she is getting better at hitting high notes now compare to kpopstar times. Her high note at 3:25 in the song is quite impressive to me. She does has a great range that most idols are not even close.

I wasn't sure about the song the first time until I re-listened to it without watching the MV and boy was I impressed.

her voice, the vocal runs, the techniques, and everything was amazing!

I actually think its the best song to show off her voice, and I am shocked by how positive the reaction is to her voice on various forums and news sites. pple are pretty much already hailing her as the best singer in kpop and kpop's answer to Adele and Amy Winehouse

the only problem I have with the debut is the MV. its good and the idea is fun, but I cant understand for the life of me why YG made her lipsync.

I recall Beyonce once saying that the most impo thing to do when filming a MV is to SING OUT LOUD the song while filming the mv.

Hayi's lipsyncing was terrible especially in parts where she was suppose to sing out the song aggressively. u would hear her voice singing a high note with a strong feel and attitude, yet her lips were barely moving in that part.

this is why i found the MV so distracting in not a very good way. I had to literally stop watching it and re-listen to the song on its own just to hear the emotions and get the feel of it. it wasn't cute awkward, it was awkward-awkward

so over all:

Song: 8/10

Vocals: 9/10

MV: 7/10 (im tempted to give it a 6 but she looked too pretty so I'll give her a point for that LOL)

Wahyimo, it's absolutely okay for you to feel that way. When it comes to music, though, I'm definitely an omnivore so I have no problem loving this song. Anyways, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you (and of course for myself) that the SuPearls debut their song(s) shortly.

Anonym @11:49 PM, you gotta leave many, many positive comments on Youtube more than here. :)

I see a few comments here and there about the lip syncing. That doesn't really bother me at all. I've seen MVs of long-established artists (even a few 2NE1 MVs), where it looked like they weren't really concerned about the lip-syncing aspect. The song stands on its own and the MV is just a chance to see Hi again in video format. The costumes and sets are really cute and I'm just happy to see a lot of her Hayi-esque gestures, moves, winks and other expressions. :o)

Anonym @5:01, YG calls her gestures and dance moves "imperfectly charming" but as we all know, there is still room for improvement. Right now though, I'm indulging in her song, putting her video on repeat.

With a voice like hers, she probably doesn't get much lip-syncing practice. ;o)

I must be a Hi-holic too, b-cuz, frankly, just watching her singing into a microphone (a la "For You" or "Sway") is really all the music video I need. Everything else is just colorful icing on the cake.

I think her vid is already approaching 700,000 plays. If they don't take it down, I'm guessing it will be over a million sometime tomorrow.

One thing i've been paying attention to is that Park JiMin and Baek Ahyeon have already debut, and they still don't have a profile on their company's website. Hayi's is up,and they have a gallery for her, and her digital single posted. How lazy JYP ENT lazy? Have they not considered them artists yet?...**They'll get to it, eventually**...whatever. I have my issues with YG, but i have to say that he doesn't spare the expense or time to promote his artists. Like JYP and his artists, me and YG will work out our differences......eventually...LOL

If JYP is having hardships, I'm sympathetic towards him, and would be the last person to bash anyone who's under that type of stress. But, again i say, what about JYP ENT? The JYP team webmasters and site operators? PJM & B.Ahyeon were signed before he took his hiatus, kpopstar season 1 ended in April, and they've been signed since May. My apologies if that's insensitive, but i believe that the team, not JYP specifically, had time to create their profiles...it was just something i noticed, i actually like JYP, but wanted to get to an answer. Ill back off....for now.

You're right, kpopantz. I hear you. But I just meant to say JYP is in fact JYPE and JYPE is JYP; so I thought JYP's personal crisis came from JYPE's recent slump or/and the other way around. Just my speculation. I admit it.

I want what happened to Se7en to happen to Hayi. I want her to do a collaboration with JYP. YG and JYP bring out very different sides of Hayi. And although I have no problem with her being under YG (as a matter of fact, I prefer it that way) I feel like Hayi and JYP would be a killer team. jyp is probably listening to Hayi's song right now, thinking "I had so much in store for you...never mind, I'll find someone like you" lol

Off topic but the thing that I liked with hype artist nowadays is that they don't make out their artists to be off their real personalities. Ah yeon's songs are very Ah Yeon, so with PJM's, their appearance image-wise as well. It is constant though not necessarily lazy or boring but because that is who they are.

While I liked Hayi's looks, I question if this is her personality expressed in 1234. We all know she's versatile but I also can't help thinking she still goes through some self Searching. I hope Yg lets her change herself in the process. I know she wants to do everything: dancing and singing, but we all at some point want something that's really not meant for us.

Wahyimo, maybe it's just me but I don't think Hi has changed that much since her first K-pop star stage except her look: Daring yet shy, sassy but not cheeky. I personally think her debut single is quite age appropriate yet the genre of her music is not easy to do; it's something quite daring working against the prevailing electronic trends in today's popular music.

I think you are right that she hasn't changed much. Since she seemed to listen to these kinds of music anyway. It was not the surprise I expected after YG's statement about her giving a new side. I think this is much like her U Go Girl performance.

But yes she is very shy, and though that will change, I just can't match her personality with songs that tells someone to get lost. Appearance wise, I don't think her personality fits colorful wacky clothes. I think she could pull off classic seductive very well.

I agree. Her appearances in the video left quite a bit to be desired. Besides, I don't like the graffiti paintings and store signs written in English. I would have had these beautiful Korean letters painted instead had I been them.

The video hasn't reached 1 mill yet, too bad. I think a lot of people don't get it.

I'm sure the lipsync style was on purpose, she could've done it as if she was really singing I'm sure (since she can just sing in the studio while filming) , they just didn't want it that way. And I'm perfectly find with it.

Also I think YG is having her doing the small gestures instead of real dancing because otherwise she'd lose her 'don't care' attitude. I agree to this. The awkward points are just some shots where she's walking and I can see she's very self-conscious or almost thinking about where she should go / stop.

Wahyimo, I don't know how international fans are responding to her song, but in Korea, it's been topping every on-line chart since its release until now. BTW, when you do a Youtube search with her name, then the result will show you her vid has reached the 1,007,319 views.

I would guess that her actual view count is now getting close to the 1.5 million mark. The youtube count (even on the search result page) is notorious for having a major lag--especially with the videos that accrue view the fastest.

Just looking at the density of comments (with each page being comments separated by seconds/minutes only), this is still accruing new views at a phenomenal rate.

I think the commenters on youtube should give up on the "awkward" meme. It's already been duly noted. I also tend to agree with what Wahimyo mentioned. I think the video producer/director was intentional with a lot of this. There are so many things that you can do with editing, retakes, etc., that it would have been real easy to get tight lip-syncs and movements wherever they wanted them. (And Hayi's fully capable of doing it.) That doesn't seem to have been the intention.

In any case, people see the video and talk about future potential with regard her on-screen performances. But the important thing to me is the singing in the song...and there's no need to talk about potential. She's got it perfect in the right here and the right now. I'm excited to think about what she'll come out with in the years ahead.

her MV has done incredibly well on youtube. im actually quite shocked that she got over a million in less than 24 hours. remember shes a rookie and this is her debut. most rookies can't even reach a million, and those who do, need at least a week before they can do it. the only rookies that managed to get over a million in the first day were EXO-K and BAP.

It took Ahyeon a month and a half to reach the million mark, while Jimin's debut MV has yet to actually surpass the 1 million mark after almost a month of it being revealed.

even senior groups like Shinhwa, Mblaq, Block B, and CNBlue struggle to hit the 1 million mark on the first day.

I thought it would take Hayi at least a week before she may reach half a million, and even that would have been an accomplishment, so note my surprise at how well she has done :D

I would say the reaction is mostly positive, and she has an army of new fans on hallyu8 and Allkpop forums. her fans and critics all agree that she was too awkward but they think that she is very talented and very pretty looking that she is bound to do well in the future. Also tumblr, "kpop fans' heaven on earth", is steadily filling up with gifs from her MV .

I don't think we should worry too much. shes doing much better than anyone really expected considering the situation :)

That's weird, I just refreshed and it's at 941 thousand still. Not that it really matters.I'm not very worried, it's just that there are way too many comments about her not being able to dance and lip sync every few seconds in the tube it's annoying.

the reason u are seeing it at 900k views is becuz youtube count tends to freeze in certain regions of the world when a certain vid gets a huge number of pple watching it all at once. this happens all the time with US songs. Usually Rihanna's and Lady gagag's vids take days before their view count stabilizes..that why we say youtube crashed lol

Here's my summary of this blog post: The blogger first compared Hi's song and Jimin's and Ayeon's ballad song. He said Jimin and Ayeon made the best possible choice when they chose to sign with JYP 'cause it is the mecca ballad label/agency in S Korea. Comparing the fans' response to each singer's debut song, as of now, Hi's debut can safely deemed most successful of three. Of course, it was Hi's strengths and charms that made it happen. But here, we have to appreciate YG's role and effort 'cause it seems they have prepared everything for her (debut). From her collaboration with Epik High to their marketing efforts to provoke curiosity. But most of all, they had her debut single custom-made to maximize her soulful voice and her vocal ability and style. Especially the part in the middle of the song where she sings with no accompaniment is absolutely something to remember. I think this part is irresistibly captivating.

In short, I think Hi and YG are a match made in Heaven and her voice that's different from Park Bom's will be a great addition to YG's 'cause they have one more singer to feature on the albums of other YG artists.

The song: The song is growing on me. At first glance, it was ok. Then as I listened more to it, I realized that the song has a jazz-feel to it, no repetitive annoying crazy beats, so I'm actually quite happy haha I find ballads are usually harder to get hooked on so I'm also glad that her debut song isn't one. She can show it off later haha but not now. Her voice is just so mature, and deep! haha I love it. Sometimes I will listen to the song without watching the MV and I'm amazed by the voice.

MV: So adorable! Omg! Anyone who has followed Lee Ha Yi since Kpop-star will able to spot her charming moves in the MV haha the heavy eyes drooping, the uneven blinking, her smirk, even her dance movements spells out LEEHAYI!I think Papa YG purposely made her dance like that because it's really how she dances in kpop-star. He wouldn't want to change her. Instead of thinking that it was an awkward dance, I actually found it really cute and funny (only people who have seen kpop star would feel what I feel!! lol)It's something fresh and different from the gazillion of great dancers in kpop celebs.

Once again, thanks for the lyrics translation. The lyrics look quite simple afterall.

Bonnie, haha! Did you notice you laughed throughout your comment? I bet you're as excited/happy as I am about Hi's song/vid. I know, I know. haha.... And sure! I'll update this post with the translation. :)

She's officially passed 1.5 million views now (though I suspect that actually happened quite a while ago).

The song hooked me at the outset. Now I'm also seeing a lot of charming things in the video that I missed earlier. I think a lot of the repeater people among the commenters on youtube who are obsessed with lip-syncing skills will later realize the video and Hayi's style in it are really cool too.

Came across a refreshing reaction video by a viewer whose first reaction was to see a lot of great stuff in the video that many of the repeater people seem to be missing. ;o)

But I just gotta say this(and I don't think saying it in YouTube will help), I wish the viewers would just go watch kpop star or even read your blog on hayi from your first update before judging her!!!Lol

The number of times the word stiff and awkward mentioned in the comment section in YouTube can drive one nuts! Haha.

It's just terribly frustrating that they don't know(from her kpopstar days)that the awkwardness is what makes hayi unique? After all, if you actually watch her video again, it's not so bad after all( or maybe I'm a huge fan, so I could take it.lol)

P.s.: I think the jimin hayi comparison thing isn't going to die down any sooner. Both sides are still arguing who's better, more popular etc..

Well, only time will tell but I hope both of them do well and succeed. And as I see an overwhelming amount of “likes” overshadowing the “dislikes,” why don't we let the naysayers stew in their own opinions? :)

well, it seem like i miss quite lots of things here :) i've watcêd the mv already, humh, how can i say? No matter what others say, the more i replay this song the more i love it (not the mv) and im glad to see that YG really really care abt her (comparing to Jimin n Ahyeon's debut songs). Anyway, im looking forward to her debut on stage :D

Haha. that MV reaction video is really funny. I don't normally watch reaction videos.. but thanks. I like his comments too, that she's really pretty.

Girl don't need any PS. I'd be pissed if she does.

Out of topic: How's SK4 going on Onsemiro? Anyone catching your ears? I haven't seen much hype except for Roy Kim. Not really attracted to him. I wish they had more tubes that's subbed or at least easy to find!

Wow! The last search result figure I saw shows her getting close to 1.8 million views so far. I think she'll reach at least 2 million today.

It seems like the response is overwhelmingly positive. It appears that there are a number of youtube commenters who want to come across as "sophisticated critics/consumers" by finding some flaw to critique. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that, but since the lip-syncing/stiff/awkward meme has already been grossly overstated, the naysaying comments are just coming across as unsophisticated copycat comments at this point.

Then there are a few comments that almost make you despair about the fate of humanity. I didn't realize that there are actually some people whose idea of the perfect music video is one with a long-legged, knee-capless barbie doll with perfect lip-syncing. I gather from a few (thankfully few) comments, that there are some people who judge videos based on that standard.

I'm so glad that Hi doesn't fit the mold those types are looking for. ;o)

I hope she takes the criticisms with a grain of salt and draws much deserved encouragement from all those who appreciate her talent and beauty.

Wahyimo, I haven't watched SK4 since the first show 'cause I could absolutely feel the void created by the departure of Yoon Jongshin and Kim Yongbeom (producer, Season 1~3). But I read here and there that younger generations and female viewers love Roy Kim and Jung Joonyoung while others love Dickpunks and Honey G.

It's funny. If I punch in a youtube search with only her hangul name (이하이 1234), the result shows a view count over 1.8 million (meaning that it's probably already at 2 million). But if I do the search with "Lee Hi 1234), it only shows 1.2 million. Can't figure out why there are so many different lags in their counting system. Anyway...

Some things I'm observing about the video. So far, just about everybody's first reaction when she appears at the beginning is "she's so pretty!" (Have to agree.)

I think she does quite well in the first sequence and I really like the little swivel-and-dip move that she does toward the end of that sequence.

In the second sequence, her expression doesn't change much, but I think that stoic expression i quite intentional to match the song content--as in she's not letting the break-up/situation bother her at all. The expression in her eyes is enough.

She then does move a bit stiffly up the stairs. You can't be too careful going up stairs and, personally, I'm glad she didn't try to dance up the stairs and end up getting hurt or something. ;o)

The two interludes where she sings without accompaniment are fantastic. I also notice that for much of the song, the accompaniment is quite minimal--mostly a bass guitar and drum beats. Her voice (on multiple tracks) IS 90% of the song.

K-Pop Star runner-up Lee Hi will be making her debut on November 4 through SBS′ Inkigayo.

The singer has already been leading a great success, bringing down all nine music sites with her debut single 1,2,3,4.

With the single she has been gathering attention to what new charms she will show off with her debut performance, as she was mostly known for her powerful voice on K-Pop Star.

Many are especially looking forward to how she will carry out her dances and gestures shown in the music video.

A rep from YG Entertainment told enews on October 31, “Lee Hi never learned how to dance, but she′s been staying up all night practicing for her debut. Please look forward to her performance.”

1,2,3,4 is a retro soul piece, which brings alive again the Motown soul that was popular in the 1960s through Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and The Jackson 5. The single has been loved for its fitting mix with Lee Hi′s soulful voice.

It was composed by YG producer Choice 37 and Lydia, and features Masta Wu as the lyricist.

Source: EnewsWorld

im a bit worried about the part where it says that she has been practising overnight..although the girl is killing the music charts in Korea and has already succeeded in doing the impossible by a rookie or even a known group except for BigBang and Epik High, which is to have 10 roof hits on the Melon chart and still going, I worry that the comments about her awkward dancing is affecting her. I want her to focus on her singing and not her dance tbh.

I agree with Anonymous (9:50pm). She really doesn't need to dance. I love just watching her singing into a stand microphone. When she really starts getting into her singing, her facial expressions and hand gestures are better and more fun to watch than any of the bust-thrustin', hip-whippin' moves that have become so standard in the pop genre (and a lot of which is really compensation by many performers for their substandard vocal ability).

If she wants to dance, more power to her. She just really should not feel any pressure to focus on that at the expense of her singing. She's one of the most exciting voices out there.

Well, actually somethings' lost in translation here. It's a uniquely Korean expression, yebbeuncheokhada, which has no English equivalent. This is used when a person, esp, a girl/woman acts like a pretty girl/woman in either a good or a bad way. She is in fact pretty and knows well that she is and acts like a princess; or she is not really pretty but acts like a pretty one to attract some attention..... But still, there's some nuances lost in translation. Hope this helps.

When he says that to her, she comes back with that Hayi confidence and says(@ 2:56, on the dailymotion video) - "I'm not a weirdo, but if he's see's me that way, i can't help it, because im cool"...(i believe that BTW)...that cool trait, is what millions are mistaken for awkwardness, because of her innocence, she doesn't have any learned or pre-recorded pretty-girl responses. The way she acts is REALLY honest and is her true self, at least for now. She's actually learning how to be cute from the YG staff. Actually, if you look at it, she's practiced, trying to be sexy, rather than cute or pretty....(As i've said before, people really don't accept, or have an understanding of what innocence really is), which is also why i hope she's allowed to remain the person we've come to appreciate and enjoy.

B.T.W....@ 2 million views this morning, there's no need for me to report the viewer count again, until she's hit double-digits. (She most certainly will...)

The Cover shoot video is sooooooo cute in the end hahahaha I can't believe it!! Her head turning back and forth!! It's like seeing a little sister growing up (from kpop-star show to debut!). *tears* so proud!

Onsemiro! Sorry it took a Lee Hi Yi song for me to come out from the shadows! Once the song came out and I watched the video I needed to come here to see what the community was saying. 70+ posts.. haha.

As for me, I love the song. I couldn't find it on iTunes either so I had to dust off my Soribada account to buy it. I'm so jazzed that it's doing well. For me I love the a cappella part at 0:57 the most, but I like the whole song.

I agree that she's completely awkward at times on the video but I appreciate that YG let her do that with what she has at the moment (I think I read that).

Bonnie, I just thought you were so excited and so happy. And we sure have to get together for her concert if it happens in the US! :)

Allan, oh my! Hi eventually brought you from the "shadows" in nearly 3 months. I was a little worried and hoped you were doing okay. And it's really good to see you again. BTW, many people seem to love the a cappella part most and also the chorus reminds me of the Supremes and the Motown era.

I haven't been able to find confirmation yet, but it sounds to me like all or nearly all of the vocals are Hi (except maybe the "1.2.3.4" shouts near the end) and, if so, she must have been very busy recording in the multiple background tracks needed to do that. In a way it's almost all a cappella because the instrumental accompaniment seems to be purely rhythm...mostly bass, drums and an occasional sequence of rhythmic chords on an electronic keyboard.

If she indeed did most of the vocal tracks, I hope people will become aware of that and realize what a great accomplishment it is.

I think most if not all of the voices are Hayi's It's particularly easy on the later parts, it's a bit difficult to notice if it's Hayi or not in the first minute section because of the harmony. But definitely, she has done a great job with the vocals.

Can't wait for another song from HaYi, thanks for that info! Meanwhile hopefully she will do a great job in the live, if she doesn't forget her lyrics I consider that a success already :P

I think she should make a sultry song with just a piano. Her vocals really stand out there. Look at Adele, she just sits/stands there and sing, and even curse, and even redid a song in live performance when she wasn't satisfied with how she went and people still adore her.

I'm becoming seriously addicted to her song. I'm also really happy to hear that there are plans for her to release an album within the next couple of months.

I like her personality so much.

I tend to identify a lot with some of her quirky, sort-of awkward personality aspects. I just don't have any of her talent or cuteness to go along with it.

Obviously, I don't have the chance to hang out with her, but everything I've seen so far indicates that she's just a very genuine, down-to-earth girl who doesn't have the phony affectations that a lot of strivers end up with in show biz.

I can sense that she's both bemused and amused by a lot of the glitzy show-biz stuff that she's getting into. Some of the winks she does almost seem to be saying "hey, it's still just me, the dduk-bogg-gi loving girl who just graduated from middle school."

I remember how sad/distraught she was when Ah-yeon was eliminated in the second to last round of the audition competition. She seemed so genuinely concerned about Ah-yeon that she couldn't even enjoy the fact that she had herself passed through to the final round. (I'm glad to see that it didn't really harm Ah-yeon in the long run. All of Ah-yeon's new songs in her new album are perfectly lovely and I bought the album as soon as it came out.)

Hi seems to be such a centered, strong, genuinely caring girl (young woman). She's really in the spotlight now and I hope all the pressure doesn't get to her. Of course, like all of us, she should constantly be working to improve in areas that are important to her. But her personality is so cool and genuine and she should never feel like she needs to change any of her individuality. She's perfect just the way she is.

I think people who have been following her since last year love BOTH her voice and her refreshingly down-to-earth personality.

I'm really happy for her now and hope that she is able to enjoy it all.

Wahyimo, that's some of the reviews I read from her fans that she should've done for her video but I don't think it matches the genre of her debut single. I totally agree that she should make a sultry song with just a piano and that and nothing else will be just perfect!

Anonym @3:31AM, and I still remember Hi crying like a baby when Park Jehyung or Lee Seunghoon, I don't remember correctly, was eliminated. She's just so sweet.

I think a lot of people in the youtube comments who critique Hi's lip-syncing/acting in the MV don't take into account the degree of difficulty involved in what she was asked to do.

She raises expectations so high (Hi?) though, that she ends up being judged on the basis of more difficult criteria than her peers. (To some extent that seemed to happen in the judging of her performances on KPopstar too.)

To test this thesis, I took another look at Baek A-Yeon's debut video and Park Ji Min's debut video, to see how they fared in terms of lip-syncing and emoting and so on.

The first thing that stands out is that there are many parts where you either can't see their faces, they are too distant from the camera to notice the lip-syncing or they do not sing along at all.

Most of the close-up shots where you can see the lip-syncing are very brief--limited to just a couple of words and then the camera quickly breaks away to something else.

Additionally, in A-Yeon's video, she remains seated in a chair at all times, while the camera shots move around to various scenes. Ji-Min's and Ye-Rin's video has several scenes where they simply act out an easy scene (such as looking at a book or something else) without even lip-syncing at all while the song continues on.

In terms of difficulty, the challenges Hi had to deal with in the format of her video were about 100 times greater (a conservative estimate). She was in constant motion throughout the video and the camera was focused close up on her face (at least close enough to watch her lip-syncing) and following her for most of the video. In other words, she basically had to lip-sync the entire song for the camera, while moving through all of her different scenes, doing a variety of dances and trying to remember which of the many overlapping vocal tracks that she had recorded were the ones that had to be lip-synced in each particular moment and scene.

This isn't to knock either A-Yeon or Ji-Min. They've both put out nice songs. It's just ironic that the degree of acting and lip-syncing difficulty that they faced in their videos was so much less than Hi's, but Hi is the one getting branded with the "awkward" and poor "lip-syncing" labels.

It kind of reminds me of the KPopstar episode where JYP was giving Hi a hard time about her "sleepy" style, after she delivered a really good impromptu cover of Amy Winehouse's Rehab. JYP told her she just wasn't putting enough energy into it and flagged her with an elimination warning. Later I checked out Amy Winehouse's original and it was sleepier than Hi's version.

I actually think Hi did really well in her video and the complexity of what she had to do was something that would have challenged many seasoned performers as well.

But... don't you think we don't need to speculate about what Jimin and Ayeon didn't actually do and what cameras didn't catch in their vids? I mean, I think we don't need to compare Hi with other girls to prove she did a good job. Just my 2 cents. ;)

Definitely. I didn't want to make comparisons and really did not want the comparisons to be interpreted as anything against Jimin or Ayeon. (I like both of them.)

I just wanted to point out that Hi is not getting credit for the degree of difficulty she faced in the type video she had to do. So, rather than speculate, I thought the best way to gauge the degree of difficulty was to compare with what people have to do in other videos. It's not really speculation. If you look at the other videos, the amount of time that they are required to visibly emote and lip-sync is quite a bit less than in Hi's video. (Just check out how many back shots are done in the 'I Dream' video for example.) This is probably true for a lot of other videos, not just Ayeon's and Jimin's. I'm not even saying that Ayeon and Jimin wouldn't have done great in a more challenging format. But for some reason their producers/directors chose formats that required significantly fewer shots where closely synchronized lip-syncing and emoting was required.

I personally think Hi did great and there is no need for comparison in my view. I'm just a bit frustrated with a lot of the comments on youtube that seem aimed at branding her as stiff and unemotional without taking into account how really well she actually did given the degree of difficulty of that video's format.

I hear you! The thing is, while the naysayers are stewing in their own opinions on Youtube, Hi's debut single is garnering favorable reviews from critics as well as from her fans. And YG's announcement they will release her studio album in 2~3 months shows that her single is a great success. :)

Great news! Hi 's topping every online chart such as Melon, Mnet, Olleh Music, Naver Music, Daum Music, and Monkey for 5 days in a row. People think it's really amazing and unusual for a female singer who is yet to make her debut stage.

2013 Golden Disk Awards - {Announcer/MC Voice} "The winner of the 2013(Newcomer) Newbie Award of the Year goes to.....YG Rookie artist LEE HAYI!!!" OMG!!! Who would've thought!...LOL - It's happening right before our eyes. Im ready to buy the album right now. When the album comes out, tell her to go and get her award, thank Kpopstar for cheating her out of what she deserved, then walk off of the stage oblivious of what she just said....hahaha(5 days in a row? Excited? No, Amped? Yes!LOL)

She's over 3 million views on her video now. I feel so proud of her. I'm not sure why I would feel proud. None of her success is due to me. But as a long-time fan, it's really gratifying to see her get some of the recognition that she deserves.

Most importantly, I just want to hear many, many more songs from her in the years ahead and, to the extent that she's successful now, we can look forward to hearing a lot of her in the future.

The more I listen, the more I like.

Her video's a bit like that to. The more I watch, the more I like. On the first view it seems that people are looking for technical things. But when you stop worrying about lip-syncing (which shouldn't be that important anyway) you can then see how many really cute and impressive things she put into her first-ever music video.

YG said in his interview with OSEN that he had cancelled his planned trip to Los Angeles to help Hi prepare for her stage debut on SBS's Ingigayo, scheduled to air on November 4. He was originally planning to meet Psy he hasn't seen for a while and also watch Big Bang's concert. He revealed he has an exceptional attachment to Hi as if she were his daughter. He said, "Had I gotten married a little earlier, I would've had a daughter her age." "As I said at the K-pop Star finale that she was the number one in my heart, I have strong convictions about her talent," added he.

I can definitely understand why YG would feel a special attachment for Hi. Not only is she super talented and super sweet, but they also have the bond of having pioneered the first season of KPopstar, YG as one of the judges/mentors/entertainment company representatives and Hi as one of the most popular and endearing contestants.

I'm sure she'll be demonstrating some uniquely charming Hi-style dance moves in the future. But it's her singing ability that puts her in a league of her own. Really great dancers may be 1 in a few thousand. But Hi's vocal quality and artistry are absolutely unique and priceless.

Another big plus is that a successful debut for Hi is also success for the whole creative team who worked with Hi (such as YG himself, Lydia, Choice37, Masta Wu, etc.), meaning that it will be a boost for all of their creative endeavors in the future.

I find that whenever I have Hi's song playing in the background and I'm doing stuff around the house, my feet seem to get a mind of their own. She may not be doing a lot of dancing in her video, but she sure has me dancing. :o)

I think I'm going to have to stop reading the youtube comments. The vast majority are quite supportive, but there are some really obtuse comments popping up and I like Hi so much that I find such comments a bit irritating.

It's like all of the good stuff is just beyond their comprehension so all they can do is nitpick at the most trivial and superficial things.

I can imagine them being people in a previous life attending a concert where Mozart introduces one of his masterpiece clarinet concertos and their comments to each other go something like this:

"Did you see M's shoes? Really out of style. One of them even had a loose buckle!"

"OMG, yeah, and did you see how awkwardly he pulled the baton out of his vest at the beginning? He's so unpolished!"

"Well, I just couldn't believe that he would wear that vest in the first place. I swear it had at least a couple of wine stains on it!"

"And where are the catchy dance steps? I couldn't find any repetitious dance steps that I can mimic for my friends when I see them next week."

first of all i have to say that i'm really, really glad to find this blog..

since Lee Hi's debut, i think i got Hi-struck and i can't help but reading all blogs, threads, everything that has Lee Hi news in them. but somehow, lately it getting really bothersome because some of the threads i follow slowly turns to be a battlefield for fanwar. ruthless & harsh words flying around, then bashing begins.. they call Hi boring, overrated, etc. i mean, she's only 16, just debuted, with only 1 song.. why people so quick to judge? if they don't like her song or her voice, no need to be rude to her or dis her..

sure there are sooo many other supportive ones, but i don't know why, to me this blog feels like an oasis.. maybe because all the comments here shows a genuine support towards her, reading through them warms my heart ^^..

sorry for my long random comment.. thank you for your hardwork & nice to meet you guys!

Anonym @10:35PM, no rivals, no improvements. But sometimes things can get ugly, especially when confrontation and fights happen between fans. As far as I know, Hi and Jimin (and even other K-pop star contestants) are all good friends. So I hope their fans are friends too. Anyways, welcome to my blog!

Anonymous @ 10:35pm....I like making Spam-Sanwiches, whenever im irritated with some of the inappropriate comments made by anti-hayi fans. Ill spend 5 or 10 minutes spamming individuals who post messages that are way out in left field, and just totally irrelevant & unnecessary...try one, spam is pretty good, when it's fried!...LOL

oh, i forgot one more thing (i guess i was too carried away by emotion earlier, lol :D).. i found this interesting analysis(?) by someone named soluiz about Lee Hi's MV in the comment section on http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/kpopcharts/lee-hi-1-2-3-4/ and it pretty much goes like this..

--------------------

soluiz • 4 days ago

solui'z mini thoughts.

the whole MV seemed to be a 1980's film. with hi being the main actress who ironically acts as an actress (oh the cliche)hi came out of her angency (yg entertainment) lol

-outfit 1 looks young and spunky and also rebellious already singing about an ex who dont seem to get that they broke up. but she's wavering with her cray feelings because the guy is not making things easy for her. this part is represented with the "guys" taunting her.throughout the whole part there are arrows that guides hi and she followed. though her heart wavered or even irritated, but she didn't wander away from the direction she wants.

-outfit 2 looks tough with the scarf on head and denim jacket with jagged Tgoes with the lyrics of being tough pushing him away, going up the elevator as a sign of further leaving him below. so far with the way this guy acts, any girl would start looking down at him. overall actions (dancing?) more confident.reached the roof with lyrics game over game over.

-outfit 3 - looks independent with neat appearance and overall that looks uniform-like.hi is attended into sitting on a 'throne'.which goes with the self praising lyrics.

-outfit 4 - looks loud with big hair and a short one piece,shows hi is moving forward to her dreams instead of being stuck emotionally with him at the same level.

-outfit 5! - totally glamorous with updo hair and star leather one piece.seems that hi is already at a hi place (punny) being a big star in a famous show and well known big time. her hard work further pays off by brushing the guy(dead weight) off. but after the shoobedowoopwoop part she felt her heart aches.reason 1: she might have happiness if they reconciledreason 2: she is still thinking of the guy after achieving success.reason 3: the grass is always greener on the other side(wait all these 3 reasons seems to be the same)

lots of smiling happening here. after hi exits the theater. because its truly "game over" and she's ready for new love?finally there's guys in the mv. huu haa!hi have eyes that notice guys now? xD...--------------------

so, what do you guys think? i've never thought of anything before, but after reading that comments, all of a sudden it started to make sense to me (regardless what the original intention of the MV is), or maybe i'm just slow >o<..and sorry if it's too long.. have a good day y'all!

*note: apparently, eatyourkimchi is a very popular blog/vlog run by canadian couple who live in korea. and it turns out that one of them was Hi's english teacher in middle school (if i'm not mistaken).. what a small world!!

Anonymous at 11:15pm, I think that the people who create and produce these videos actually put a lot more thought into the concepts and symbolism than casual viewers realize. The interpretation you mentioned in your post seems like it may be right on target. In any case, when it comes to symbols and their interpretation, the interpreter is the most important part of the equation.

One of the silliest lines of criticism that I've seen on some of the youtubes is along the line that Hi's debut should have been delayed by several years until she can dance like currently popular girl group members (i.e. with the standard hip-wiggling and leg shaking, etc.)

Kind of leaves one speechless to encounter thinking like that.

Hi at the present time already has one of the best combinations of vocal quality and singing artistry in Korea and, in my opinion, in the world. It's laughable that this treasure should be put on ice for several years just because of some unhappy teen-agers who couldn't find the leg-shakin' hip-wigglin' moves that they're accustomed to.

For those interested, I came across this reaction of a guy that gets it. Hi's singing is all about the music. He basically says that her song/singing should not be sub-classified as KPop...it's just really good music plain and simple.

Being hooked up to her voice since i heard she sang for you. Listening to her songs crazily everyday. There is one point I don't know whether u guys noticed this in hi's live performance today or not. For most pro-singers they would lift their chin up to allows more air while belt out powerful high notes. Hayi's high notes in live performance today is a bit shakey. She looks down while belting out her high notes which is not a good habit for to sing high notes. She definitely need to change it. Following her since kpop star I know that she has a very wide range she can hit F5 note in her u go girl perf and E5 in sweet love. But once again her high notes isn't stay stable in some of her performances such as sway, foolish love. It's true that she has struggle with high notes and I definitely believe she will improve anld become Korean soul diva in the future. Fighting hayii my ultimate kpop female bias

Onsemiro, thanks for putting up the Inkigayo video and thanks for your excellent blog.

Hi did a great job on her performance. I can tell that she was considered one of the top attractions for the Inkigayo program because they saved her performance until about the last segment of the show. In terms of stage performance, I'd say that she, Epik High and Miss A were the most impressive out of the many acts that performed.

Hi had kind of an unusual challenge in a live performance. Since she sang all of the important overlapping parts of the song in the original recording, she had to pick out the parts that she would sing live.

She had her "push it up a notch" face on during the performance. Even going back to her earliest KPopstar performances, I could tell that she takes the quality of her singing and performing very seriously and is quite the perfectionist.

That said, I hope that she doesn't take some of the criticisms of her music video performance too seriously. I think she really sparkled throughout most of her music video and looked really pretty. There are so many things that she did very well in it. In the future, I think whenever I want to get a smile and be uplifted by an outrageously cute face, Hi's music video is one of the first remedies I'll look to.

No matter how well she does in the future, there are always going to be some people looking for flaws. I don't think there's any world-class artist that's immune to that. It's easy for anyone to fire off criticisms. Pleasing everyone in the world is impossible.

In any case, ss long as she stays true to her own vision and musical sense, I think she'll be topping the music charts in my heart for a long, long time. :o)

Even though Hi reaches the high notes better than before, I agree she needs a bit more work on them. This is one of many challenges for any solo singers who dance while singing the entire song by themselves. And yes, she'll definitely get better. :)

I think she's proved that she's a good dancer. But then I don't think she should have to prove that she's a good dancer. She's such an excellent singer and it's kind of weird that she's getting pressure to be a stellar dancer as well.

Her voice is her instrument and she's mastered it quite well and is well on the path to reaching new heights of mastery.

In my opinion, expecting Hi to engage in amazing footwork and choreographed routines for every song would be like telling Pavarotti that his singing is great, but his performances just won't be complete until he becomes an excellent tap dancer as well. "We want to see you tap dance while singing Nessun Dorma!"

Or it would be like telling Yo-Yo Ma that he won't be a really great cello player until he learns how to play the cello and juggle yellow rubber duckies with his feet at the same time.

I hope Hi and the people around her don't think that she needs to be a dynamic dancer now in every song she does.

Singing is all about breathing. Even a person who tries to walk at a brisk pace while talking into a cell phone notices that the movement makes their voice unsteady and different.

When Hi really focuses on singing a song, she puts so much artistry into it. She has to anticipate exactly where she's going to need the most air and where she's going to sustain with force and so on.

Typical pop singers can do "gee-gee-gee" lines and so on while dancing, but the quality of singing everyone has come to expect of Hi is a whole different game and requires enormous focus and immersion and breathing control.

I notice that nobody has so far put pressure on Ayeon and Jimin to do complex choreography in their debut performances. They have basically debuted as vocal performers and when they sing they mostly just stand in one spot.

I think a fun routine for future live performances by Hi would be for her to defiantly carry her own microphone and microphone stand out with her, confidently walk to the center of the stage and then firmly plant the microphone stand to the stage, while the sound of booming thunder rolls out announcing that "the voice has arrived!!" One of the back dancers could motion for her to join them in dancing and she could say, "nuh-uh! I'm here to sing!"

I think the format she had for her performance in "Sway" was good. Where there are breaks in the song, she can do some elegant moves (like the ones that BOA taught her for that song), but in the intense parts of the song she can really focus on her singing.

I just don't want to see her trying to compete with the pop singers who do pole dance routines and chair dance gimmicks to compensate for their average singing. Hi's singing ability is so exquisite that focusing on bringing out her best in singing should take priority over all else. And she can still do some fun songs here and there where she can show off her dancing.

Maybe it was because YG feels like he's her ambitious father who is so proud of his daughter that he wants to prove she can do anything? Well, even though I love to watch her dance, I'm also one of many who want to see more soulful singing from her. As her first studio album will be released soon, I think we can wait until then to talk about the direction she's heading in. :)

I'm not sure if you've heard this already. But thank goodness for your blog,Onsemiro:) haha

I always come here to read the comments, because your blog viewers and you yourself definitely have a way with words to describe things or give their erspective on things(eg the anon who talked about mozart and the other anon who mentioned Pavarotti. Both of you sound like the same person though. Haha). It's really interesting:) and of course, how everyone is really rooting for Hi here.

Anyhoo, just wanted to comment to say thanks for all the updates, Onsemiro! and that we appreciate it:D

Loved the Inki performance. I don't know about everyone else and it might have been said already, but she's debuting at an age when most other artists were just starting their training. We all loved what was naturally there when she was going through the KPS show and I for one am happy that what comes through is that quality of her voice we all enjoyed. The rest is just gravy and will surely get better as she works it.

(Im late, i know..lol) Inki Stage.....I saw (arrogance)confidence, and at certain points during the performance, i could see Hayi pushing herself beyond her normal self-inflicted limitations. I wasn't disappointed, because i wanted to see how long she could maintain her composure, and she did, all the way to the end. Minus a few vocal errors, this was consistent, and enjoyable for me to watch. Loved it!!!...hayi fighting!!!

That's a given ;)...LOL I already believe that the album is gonna do well, im interested to see her progress, with the live performances. Doing 1 song is like doing contract work, do the job, get paid, leave. At some point, she'll be doing concerts. So im here wondering, anticipating, how strong she'll be, having to carry the weight of a concert on her shoulders. Next lesson for Hayi: Crowd participation & Atmosphere Control...major areas of performance training.

Is she going to go on promoting the song in other channels/shows? anyone know abt this?

To anonymous at November 4, 2012 4:43 AM, I don't think those of us commenting on the high pitch problem mean to purposely look for flaws. It was noticeable. We love Hayi and want her to improve.

I agree that she doesn't need to be a dancer, but I think recalling from her first audition she wants to be. Plus YG put her in clothes that sort of connects her to the idol image. It's hard to explain but I actually feel that the prettier you are, and or the more showy you dress, the harder it is for you to prove yourself you're a good singer.

I don't think doing pole dancing techniques or chair stuff necessarily means she is trying to compensate something else. The singer is trying to show how much of an all rounder she is. Just like Ha Yi what is trying to do now.

I'm the anon at 4:43 AM. I actually wasn't thinking of any comments on this blog when I wrote that. I agree that everyone posting here is supportive of her. I don't have anything against constructive criticism either.

I was mostly thinking about the numerous drive-by flamers commenting on youtube, and some other places, who don't really put any thought into their negative comments and have nothing constructive or supportive to say.

I suspect that a lot of them are just people who are jealous of the attention she's getting and want to take her down a notch and some of them may be fans of other performers who are unhappy that she's getting more love than their favorite.

I guess my point is that any performer who shines as brightly as Hi does will have to learn how to ignore a lot of the negative comments and just stay focused on where she wants to go and interacting with the fans who love and appreciate her.

I also agree that the person who is probably putting the most pressure on Hi to be a great dancer is Hi herself. I imagine that she didn't want to get stuck with the label of being awkward and stiff and YG is being supportive. I imagine he must be really proud. She's so determined to keep improving.

I think it was a good decision on her part to do a performance that knocks the wind out of the sails of those trying to brand her as unemotional, stiff, etc.

For my own selfish reasons, however, I'm just hoping that in the future she won't feel the need to prove herself over and over in the dancing/choreography area. I like her singing so much that I really want to see her mix in a lot of performances where the singing is the main focus.

It's just a matter of biology and physics. Any singer, no matter how good, is not going to be able to sing at their very best if they're simultaneously hopping and bopping and moving through complex choreography.

Even in some of my favorite performances by 2NE1 in their live concerts, it's easy to notice in the parts that they sing live that their singing is greatly impacted by their dance movements and the pre-recorded music that they sing along to is needed to maintain the stability and overall musicality of the song.

That's why I really like their (2NE1's) collaborations with Jung Sungha, where they just sit on stools and show how well they can sing live when they don't have to also be jumping and dancing at the same time.

I'm sure Hi will be showing us a lot of variety in the future. She's such a perfectionist, however, that I'm just wringing my hands a bit with worry, hoping that she doesn't become too sensitive to the inevitable criticisms that are going to be fired at her. I don't want her to get tied up in knots trying to do everything in every performance.

Wahyimo, no, I was talking about their history of being unfriendly towards the singers produced by other networks' audition shows. For example, Seo Inguk, the winner of Mnet's Super Star K season 1, has had literally no chance to appear and sing on any other TV networks than Mnet until lately. As other networks now have their own audition shows, they are opening their doors to one another 'cause they have to worry about the future of their creations.

Wahimyo, I can see how confusing it can get with all the anons posting. ;o)

Onsemiro has a fantastic blog here and I think I need to get around to registering (with Onsemiro's permission of course). For now, I guess I'll identify myself as "Hilee Enamored."

That's a good point about Season 2. I wouldn't be surprised if they bring back several of the successful contestants from last season to do performances to inspire the new contestants.

I think Hi's video is now at 4 million. The highest count I've seen so far is over 3.9 million and the counts are always quite a bit behind the actual current count.

As far as I can tell, she's still topping the charts. But I haven't seen any really recent articles on that.

I'm still trying to figure out exactly what kind of phenomenon I'm witnessing on the youtube comments. The mindless criticisms seem to come in waves. Although there is some room to legitimately critique some of Hi's performance, the comments about her having no expression, being stiff, etc. have become ridiculously exaggerated. Maybe it's some kind of mindless groupthink phenomenon.

If someone only read the comments, without viewing the video, they would probably think that she was walking like a zombie throughout the whole thing and bumping into walls and stuff. It's really silly.

All anyone needs to do (other than see the actual video itself) is go check out the super adorable gif captures in various posts on the tumblr site. It's a veritable treasure trove of amazingly cute expressions, gestures and moves made by Hi in her video.

Even the thumbnail for the official video on youtube is great, with that really cute expression on Hi's face looking up at you.

guys don't worry too much about the comments on youtube. these pple are not criticizing her cuz they really think shes bad, they are mostly criticizing her for being a YG singer. they are simply trolling for the heck of it so dont take it to heart.

99% of the pple behind those comments are fans of SM, Ailee, Hyuna, and JYP.

most SM fans hate anything related to YG, and most YG fans hate anything related to SM. as an SM fan, i have seen every single vid one of SM's singers releases geting filled to the brim with attacks by mostly YG fans and JYP fans about SM being evil and the singers being slaves

conversely, if u go now to 2NE1's vids, u will see many SM fans attacking the girls by calling them ugly and untalented.

so its then up to the fans of the targeted singer to step up and post as many positive comments as possible so that neutral music viewers wont see the negative comments all over the main page.

i guarantee you that had Hayi gone with another company, she wouldn't have received half of the criticism shes receiving right now.

i have been checking out various forums and things are getting pretty nasty b/w YG fans and trolls attacking hayi by comparing her to Ailee. heck i have even seen fans who dont even like Ailee using her name just to attack hayi and say ridiculous things about her not lasting. now i see them saying Hyuna is better than Hayi cuz she can dance! i mean common seriously!??? HYUNA!

LOL i actually laughed when i read that cuz it was an obvious trolling on Hayi just for being a YG singer.

Hyuna's latest single has been nowhere near removing Hayi from the #1 spot on all music charts.

it also doesn't help that YG stans are using Hayi's huge chart success to gloat over fans of other singers, especially Hyuna. this is really pissing a lot of pple off. I watched many of those critics on hallyu8 go from being a little critical about hayi, to completely bashing her and her career today.

so honestly, i would advice that u guys ignore the comments on youtube. the attacks are mostly being posted by young teenagers who feel threatened by hayi and want to use any excuse to undermine her talent and success.

oh and btw Hayi is still #1 everywhere :D korean articles are still reporting on it daily and are calling her the Monster Rookie for still topping the charts even 8 days after her debut. its just that english kpop sites are not translating these articles cuz the news are pretty much repeating her success and most pple on forums are already aware of this :)

Thanks for that great explanation SaraM. I guess that's one of the downsides of the teen idol subculture. Their favorite idols or entertainment companies become alter-egos/avatars for them and they see everything as some kind of computer game competition to see who's number 1.

I was just enjoying listening to Baek Ayeon's songs this morning and marveling at how beautiful her voice is on each song. She really did an amazing job on that album in a really short time. And the great thing is that I can now enjoy Hi's wonderful songs ("It's Cold and "1234") too and look forward to more in the future.

I feel sad for those fan-war people who are stuck in "either-or" land.

Although I haven't got into Jimin's "I Dream" song too much yet. I know she's got a lot in store for us in the future.

I don't know why exactly. But for some reason Hi triggers protective instincts in me. I know it's silly. But I sometimes find myself worrying a bit with things like:

"Is she getting enough sleep?"

"Is she eating enough and eating good food?"

"Does she realize how naturally beautiful she is and have enough confidence in that to be able to simply shrug off derogatory comments from thoughtless people?"

Maybe it's just because she's so young. I haven't had those kinds of worries about other performers before.

Anyhow...

On my kind of selfish wish list of types of songs I'd like to see her do in the future, I'm hoping that she'll do some that are along the lines of the "Regrets" song and "For You" song that she did in the audition contest.

I know that the judges didn't give her high marks for the Regrets song, but for those of us in a frame of mind to appreciate it, she performed it magnificently and it felt like she reached right into my soul with her singing on that.

I also liked her singing on "Miryeon-han Sarang" (if I remember the name correctly). The content of the song itself may not have been age-appropriate for Hi, but I loved the smooth, silky, rolling, flowing way that she sang it.

She's shown a lot of different flavorings in her singing and I'm looking forward to seeing her bring many of those flavorings out again.

SarahM, I don't really see that much of negativity in 2ne1 vids actually. While for Hayi, even those ppl who says she can sing really well say she can't express herself. This is why some of us are worried. This is just youtube, it's not where most Koreans go to to comment on these things. I can't help thinking this will put pressure on Hayi to change accordingly, or even hurt her

Anonymous@9:56pm, I think there are a lot of youtube posters with different, sometimes disingenuous motives. I think what SarahM said at least explains a signficant part of it.

Beyond that, however, I've come to the conclusion that there are just a lot of thoughtless posters on youtube who seem overly eager to find some flaw that they can pick on. There's a certain psychological aspect to it. For the brief moment that a person puts themself in the position of passing judgment on another person's performance the judger (judge) temporarily feels superior to the person that they are judging and criticizing.

Of course it is just temporary. As soon as they've finished trying to downgrade Hi's accomplishment the judger will just immediately go back to being a small-minded person with a keyboard. Hi will continue to be one of the most adorable, talented and beautiful singers in the world. :o)

(And even those people have a hard time finding fault with her singing. And her singing is phenomenal, especially when you think about all of the different vocal parts that she recorded on multiple tracks for the song. Really major accomplishment!)

Frankly, I can't even tell what standard they think they are using in critiquing Hi's performance in the MV.

They don't seem to have any intention of looking for anything to praise, notwithstanding the fact that the MV is chock full of cute moves, gestures and expressions.

As I've mentioned earlier, the MV format was also quite a challenging one. There is relatively a very significant percentage of time that the camera is close up on Hi so as to have every detail of her lip-syncing on display.

I've looked at videos of numerous singers, including really big names (like Christina Aquilera) where the lip-syncing really is not any better--even if the mouthing of words is more dramatic. It may be a question of editing or whatever. Furthermore, many MV's only focus for a brief number of seconds on the singer's mouthing of the words and then quickly cut to other scenes where the acting and lip-syncing is not even an element.

As I've said before, I don't have any problem with constructive criticism. But most of the you-tuber comments about her "awkwardness" have really become so exaggerated that they're funny. She really is definitely not that awkward. Their silly comments make it sound like she's tripping over her own feet and staring blankly at the ground or something.

Although I'd be happier if more of the you-tubers agreed with me, I know what I saw and their exaggerated criticisms don't affect my perception at all.

What I saw in the MV was an extremely cute and talented girl moving through a series of scenes with dozens of things to love in each scene. The finger wag, the "get outta here" pushing away of the crowd of "guys", the "I'm not gonna let you bother me" expression as she moves toward the elevator, the great "oooh" expressions in the green jumpsuit...and on and on and on...all the way up to the "uh-huh, uh-huh" and wink at the end that made my heart flutter.

I don't guess we'll be able to help those you-tubers whose perceptiveness is so limited.

And don't even get me started on the idiots that criticize her legs and body. Again, they're people who live in a box of limited perception. There's a whole world of beauty that they can't appreciate. It's sad really. It's like trying to get someone to appreciate the beauty of a field of flowers only to find out that their eyes are incapable of seeing colors. They apparently grew up with Barbie dolls and think that only people who look like Barbie can be officially pretty. "Hey, why do you have knee caps?? Why isn't your waist 85.75% narrower than your shoulders?? Why isn't your skin more plasticky?? You must be ugly!" ;o)

As to why there may be somewhat less negative nitpicking on 2NE1 videos (or those of other well established performers), I think the type of people who are so quick to put themselves in the judge's seat for a newcomer like Hi would generally be more hesitant to do so on videos of performers who have already been around for years and have sold several millions of albums. They would more likely get a response of "who the __ are you??" from other posters.

With a rookie, though, they seem to come out in full force--possibly because they may think that they have a better shot at shaking the rookie's confidence or having an impact on the potential fan base of the rookie.

A bit of envy also seems to be in play.

The commenters who refuse to acknowledge anything praiseworthy and have only negative comments may, either unconsciously or consciously, be feeling like: "This person was ordinary just like me just a year ago and now it looks like she's going to be a big star. Maybe I'll feel better about myself if I find something wrong with her that makes it seem like she doesn't deserve her success. Jeez, wouldya look at that lip-syncing... Yeah, she doesn't deserve it. I deserve it as much as her."

I see on the charts that Ailee is closing in fast. She's the one that i wondered about, that would give Hayi a run for her money. The MAMA's are coming on 11/30/12, & I know Ailee will make her presence known, but if she get's the invite, Hayi has to come away with either, Best Female Solo, Asia New Artist, Netizen Popularity, Digital Single or something! She's not going home empty handed.

I recall reading an article that basically said what anonymous@12:49 AM is saying about MAMA and that the nominations are pretty well settled before the end of October. On the other hand, the article mentioned a few other awards (I think Golden Disk was one) for which Hi will still be eligible. (She's already the winner of all the awards as far as I'm concerned.)

I got a small thrill today when I had my first "random hearing" of Hi's song while out and about in public. I was walking past a shop and thought Hi's song was playing louder in my head than usual. Then I realized it was coming from an external source and Hi's success just seemed that much more real to me. ;o)

I think I read somewhere that she's the first to ever win the Mnet Countdown #1 award as a debut singer. It's also worth noting that not only did the competition include many top performers, but Hi is a 'graduate' of SBS's audition program and the MNET award program is sponsored by a competing broadcaster that has its own audition program.

I'm really happy for Hi, but I could tell when she was speaking in parts of the show that she is physically exhausted. I imagine she hasn't gotten much sleep at all for the past several days.

I'm hoping YG will tell her she needs some quiet time for a couple of days to get some sleep and recuperate.

I want her to be delighting us for decades to come, so I'm selfishly very concerned about her health. "Get some sleep, young lady!!" ;o)

First, I'd like to thank you, Onsemiro, for providing so much great information on all of your different blog posts and giving fellow Hayi (Hi) fans a nice place to visit.

Next, I'd like to make a short (and definitely incomplete) list of things I'm thankful to Hi for, namely:

(1) Her "For You" song. I know it was just an audition program, but that was one of the most memorable and remarkable musical performances I've seen in a long time (regardless of pro or amateur status or whatever). I also loved the way she looked in that performance. Absolutely cute, beautiful, radiant and elegant all at the same time.

(2) Her intro to "Don't Stop the Music." It was absolutely mesmerizing.

(3) Her "Regrets" song. I don't think any singer could have done better at bringing out the full emotional potential of that song.

(4) Her "1,2,3,4" song. I think a lot of fans are not fully aware of what Hi accomplished in the recording studio on this song. With all the focus on her M/V and stage performances, I don't think enough attention is being paid to the real substance of what makes Hi so special musically. Not only did she debut as a solo singer, but the variety of vocal parts, tones, expressions and harmonies that this solo singer put into her song actually exceed what veritable platoons of performers in various other groups are able to do.

I think most of the repetitious "awkward" comments are coming from people who came to Hi's M/V and song as "entertainment consumers." For those of us who are music lovers and appreciate Hi from that perspective, the lip-syncing, dancing, etc. are way down on the list of priorities and only just worth mentioning occasionally in passing.

Anyhow...as I said this list is not complete by any means. Maybe I'll try sending a more complete list to YGE on the off chance that Hi may eventually get an opportunity to see it.

Even though it's probably good experience for her now to develop the stage skills (dancing, expressions, etc.) that she's been so diligently working on. She should know that there are times when all she has to do is sing. Sure, there will always be entertainment consumers who will complain that she doesn't break-dance well, doesn't moonwalk well, can't gracefully spit exploding firecrackers out of her mouth while singing, hasn't yet learned how to juggle flaming torches while pole dancing and rapping....and [fill in blank with whatever new complaint some bored teen entertainment consumer comes up with]. No matter how much a performer does, those entertainment-consumer people will simply escalate their demands because making demands costs nothing.

So here's a toast to Hi (raising virtual wine glass) and a wish that she will stay healthy and happy and keep her primary focus on her singing and music.

JYP said, "When I watched Lee Hi's (music video and stage), I thought YG could call himself tiptop. He produced her song by extracting her essence that is uniquely Hi. Strangely, I adore Hi, Jimin, and Ayeon all, even without thinking about the agencies/labels they signed to. They are all lovely and I'm unconditionally rooting for them."

YG said, "The fans may consider them rivals. But as I once said to Ayeon that I wanted to join her fan club, I still like her. And also, I still remember how Jimin affected the public. I hope you don't consider them competition. Honestly, we couldn't even start competing 'cause JYP had stayed in the Middle East for two months. We consider one another family and just like JYP gave his song to SE7EN, I can always ask for his help."

Just another little bit of good news. Hi now has the record for longest time at number 1 by any debut artist this year. She was tied with Busker-Busker yesterday, and has now passed their record by 1 day. Keep going Hi!

http://osen.mt.co.kr/article/G1109497493

For those interested, the whole press conference with BOA, YG and JYP can be seen at the Daum site. The segment referred to in the above-mentioned article can be seen at this link:

In another segment, JYP talked about future cooperation between the two companies with regard to Hi, Jimin and Ayeon. He specifically mentioned the possibility that he would compose some songs for Hi and the possibility of YG helping in production for Jimin and Ayeon. He also seemed to feel bad about not being here for Jimin and Ayeon during the past couple of months and said that he wants to focus more attention on them now that he's back. This is the link for that segment:

You know how a lot of performers' fans have nicknames (like the 'Blackjacks' for 2NE1)?

Since things are in the early stages for Hi, I was just playing around in my mind with possible nicknames for her fans and one thought that seemed cute and appropriate is 'Hi Beams' which could easily morph into something like 'Hi Beamers'.

Seems appropriate for several reasons. There's the play on her name Hi (high) and "high beam" -- the term used for the brightest setting of a car's headlights.

Given the intensity of her fans, it seems appropriate because when it comes to Hi, they always have their high beams on. They want her to get the attention and light that she deserves.

Plus the word 'beam' has a lot of positive associations with other words, e.g. smiling (beaming smiles), sunlight (sunbeams), moonlight (moonbeams) and so on.

I've seen the nickname 'HARPs' being floated around. It's cute (and appears to be based on an acronym) and I'm guessing that it will probably stick.

I'm just concerned about some unfortunate associations it brings to mind, such as 'harpy' and the verb 'harp' (as in nagging or excessively dwelling on something).

Anyhow, it must seem like I have too much time on my hands if I'm thinking about stuff like this. I really don't. But it's just one of those thing that popped up in my mind and I was just wondering what you think. Hi-Beams? Hi-Beamers? Yay? Nay? Ultra big nay?? ;0)

Hi, Onsemiro. Have you watched Hayi's performance on SBS Love Concert? I don't know if it's just me, but she just really looks dead tired. I honestly hope she gets some rest after this.

@Hilee Enamored I totally get what you mean when you worry about Hayi's health(if she's eating well etc). Btw, Hi-Beam sounds cool:) Hahaha, and you're so right about the harp-nagging thing. But it looks like the majority are fine with Harp though.

Hi again everyone. Thanks for the news updates as always.Just saw the newest live uploaded in Hayi's channel. Great to hear jyp is back too. I think Hayi need some jyp coaching again! I am thinking her diet may affect her vocal powers.

She even gets shaky on low notes now. She never had this problem in the competition.strange.

I think Hi needs to eat more because she doesn't need to be thin. She looked absolutely adorable even when she was chubby. And no matter what she does, she will never look like Selena Gomez who has a naturally small frame. Hi got her mom's chubby genes and there's little she can do. In that sense, I hope YG people read the recent Adele article: Huffington Post

As Adele feels no pressure to be a skinny mini and is comfortable with her size (Dailymail), I hope Hi just feels proud of her shape and focuses more on her singing. But I still kind of understand why she feels pressured to lose weight, living in the thinnest country in the world: Obese Population by Country

I have to disagree with u guys in the dieting issue. I studied food and nutrition for 2 years and let me tell u something, losing any extra weight will only strengthen a singer's voice and improve their breathing control. losing weight will never ever have any negative impact on the voice as long as its done correctly with a healthy diet and good exercise.

pple like Adele struggle to lose weight becuz when she does try to lose weight she uses the wrong method, which is starvation. u cant lose weight by starving urself. that will only destroy ur body. Not to mention Adele herself has said many times that shes lazy and hates exercising. so i honestly believe that her refusal to lose weight is not becuz shes happy with her image, but becuz shes too lazy to do anything about it. plus shes super successful right now and no1 dares to criticize for her looks.

its a different case for Lee Hi becuz image is extremely impo in Korea, and if Hi wants to make money from other ventures like endorsements and CFs, she will need to loose few more pounds.

go watch Lee Hi's performance from kpopstar or Please Dont Stop the music. she was completely breathless and sounded extremely pitchy during the song even though she moved only a bit. 1234 is longer and has more dance steps yet she has never managed to sound out of breath in it which shows that her exercising is paying off :)

i did notice that her latest performance was not up to par vocally but i believe that its more from the fact that she has not been sleeping enough and stressing about her single rather than her not eating or dieting.

Anonymous@7:30pm, I agree that exercise (if not over done) and losing e x t r a weight will be beneficial. The key word is "extra" weight though. I'm afraid that there is a "one size fits all" mentality that doesn't take into account different body types/physiques. Hi should not be trying to transform herself into having an elongated, very thin appearance like many of the fresh-off-the-assembly-line-conveyor-belt idols seen in many of the idol groups. I strongly, strongly prefer Hi's natural beauty. As Onsemiro mentioned, Hi is genetically predispositioned to a certain look (see her very cute mother and sister) and there is absolutely no reason for her to fight against it because it's absolutely adorable.

She looked absolutely beautiful and adorable, for example, in her "For You," "Sweet Love" and "Don't Stop the Music" Performances. Take the way she looked in any of those performances and have her stand next to a refrigerator or a car and--I gotta tell you--I'm going to be thinking about how cute she is and unconsciously associating that with the product. ;o)

In her "Don't Stop the Music" performance, her intro was excellent. It's not clear to me whether some of the breathing issues during the subsequent dancing part were a result of anything other than trying to sing a difficult song while simultaneously dancing through a difficult dance routine that she had just started learning a few days prior. No singer will be at their best vocally when they are simultaneously dancing, which is why recording studio versions of songs usually sound better musically than live versions from performances that require lots of body movement. (Just try singing while jogging at an easy pace.)

If she gets to a low weight that doesn't look healthy for her body type, it could actually backfire.

I definitely agree, however, that a healthy and sufficient diet and regular (not excessive) exercise will only be good for her. She definitely should stay away from junk food (as should I).

Too much of anything can be a bad thing, however. For example, it's been found that marathon runners, who are often extremely thin, are not particularly healthy overall compared to people who get regular exercise in moderate doses. Excessively stressing over calories also will not be particularly helpful to her if it interferes with her ability to concentrate on other things. Plus she should not feel like there is anything wrong with her just the way she is. Thousands, if not millions, of people have fallen in love with her just the way she is.

I also agree that any challenges she may have been experiencing in her recent performance(s) with regard to meeting her very high standards are probably more due to fatigue plus the difficulty of splitting her attention between focusing on facial expressions/choreography on one hand and her singing on the other hand. I may be wrong, but in some of the tones in her last performance, it almost sounded to me like she has a cold or some cold symptoms.

I'm thinking that if the people around her, especially YG, don't try to force her into the standard idol mold that has been in place for years, she will be the person who finally breaks the mold. People's pre-condtioned perceptions will fall away and their ability to appreciate different types of beauty, talent and uniqueness will be expanded. That's my hope anyway. :o)

I don't know how long it will last, but I'm happy she's off to a good start and I'm really looking forward to her full or mini-album release. I hope all of the songs will showcase her talent at its best. Although, I'm eagerly anticipating it, I'm fine with them taking the time to get it just right and up to Hi's high standards. (I'm kind of also hoping that they'll also add some bonus tracks or a bonus cd with some of the highlight songs from KPopstar. )

I certainly hoped that her debut would be a great success, but if someone had asked me a month ago for a prediction I don't know if I would have dared predict that it would be as successful as it has actually turned out. :o)

At the present moment, it appears that she's also heading for her 18th day at the top of the charts, and may make it to a full three weeks. There are some challengers here and there who pop up briefly, but Hi has steadily dominated for 18 full days now. Amazing!

I think there are actually two things motivating her fans. First, they really like her debut song. Second, they want to clearly send a message of support because they want to hear a lot more from her in the future.

I do continue to worry though that her schedule the past few weeks has been exhausting for her--particularly when you add in the extra stress and jitters associated with the pressures of a professional debut.

If they haven't already recorded all of the tracks for her upcoming album, I wonder when she will get the time to focus on it. I guess these are the kinds of problems that come with being a superstar. :o)

Another milestone worth mentioning in connection with Hi reaching (and probably going beyond) 17 straight days at number one is that she now holds the year's record for length of time at the number one position for both established and new artists.

Hayi being "robbed" again, for the 2nd time this year,...it's getting annoying. Hayi, based on chart ranking, OWNS the Best New Female Award,(IMO), but they'll give it to someone else. However, i like her unexpected rise to the top, im still optimistic that an impossible occurrence will happen in her favor. What's next, after the MAMA's?

kpopantz, one of the anonymous readers of my blog told me Hi is not eligible to win the MAMA award 'cause the nominations have already been out for over a month now. In other words, she's too new or she debuted too late. For the same reason, PSY is not eligible for the AMA awards this year.

For her appearance on the Mnet stage she wore the pink dress from her music video.

In her short acceptance speech she took the time to thank Lydia, Masta Wu, Choice37, the dancers, etc.

Last week, she was in barely controlled tears during part of the short follow-up singing after getting the award. This week, she seemed a bit baffled. I don't think she previously realized how many fans out there love and support her--and have been waiting for months for her debut.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see her main performance, but it sounds like she did a good job.

Hilee Enamored, you should watch it. She improved a lot. I have to agree with one the anonymous here that mentioned that Hi's a perfectionist. I'm starting to feel like she is(it's admirable)

I loved the look she gave at the camera at the end of her performance. It felt like she was sending a message to her critics- in your face haters. Lol

Onsemiro, how does the MCountdown vote work? Cause when votes are being summed up, I saw(in both Hi vs K.Will and vs Ailee), she had zero votes compared to her competitor who at least had some figures?

Btw, I'm happy that Hi won but at the same time, I'm worried. I observed the other artists' facial expressions. This time round they don't look too happy with Hi's win. And not only that, I wonder how other artists are treating Hi.

Psy may be the one performer at this time that can't be budged out of first place. (I'm not sure how the broadcast category for scoring works on Music Bank, but Psy has really high numbers in that category.)

In any case, who could have imagined a month ago that Psy's main challenger around this time would be the new maknae of YG? Just the fact that Hi is in the running with this year's top global pop sensation and Madonna's new center stage singing and dancing partner is a big deal!

It's cute too that their names rhyme. I can imagine them first being introduced to each other....

I know I'm being a worrier again, but I do think she's starting to look a bit frail. I think she's really been pushing herself hard the past few weeks.

To Anonymous@9:20am, I think the zero vote items that you referred to are the scores for sales of actual CD recordings. Hi has not put out any physical CD recordings for sale yet, so she can't get any scores in that category. But the final total score is a combination of several categories and Hi has been far ahead in the past few weeks in sales by way of digital downloads.

1) the fact that Hayi is a rookie and shes getting all this success with a debut single. not to mention shes not been trained like those idols who have spent years going through torturous training at their companies.

2) Ailee is a very bright and cheerful girl. she quickly was able to make friends with many singers and staff in the industry and many of those seem to be rooting for her.

I don't know about what the future plans are for Lee Hayi but i get the feel that if she doesn't end up being in Supearls, then she might end up becoming a bit of an outcast. im sure she will be successful but that success and YG's seemingly protective nature over her may end up affecting her chances of making friends in the industry.

i have to say, i really like how sweet Miss A's Suzy is towards her. I recall her sending Hayi a good luck vid message during kpopstar and she seemed genuinely thrilled for her today on her win.

Onsemiro, Season 2 (Kpopstar) kicked off today. The sets & stages look amazing, JYP is back from the middle east, BOA looks beautiful, but very "venomous", and YG, well he looks about the same...LOL. What are some of your expectations? (There won't be another Hayi, but im excited to see what the newbies have in store for us)

kpopantz, I just finished watching the show and really enjoyed listening to the critiques from the judges. Unfortunately, there was no particular contestant yet that caught my attention like Hi did last season. I'll just wait and see. :)

I'm listening to it now. Haven't finished the full episode but I think overall the singing skills might be better though 'feel' wise there hasn't been anyone that caught my heart yet.

I hope someone subbed it out there because i'd love to hear what the judges said.

They kicked off Jenny Suk! Eventhough I agree the performance wasn't her best, I think she's a very good singer and deserved a second chance for the next round. I think she just tried to do too much. That said, I guess Kpop star is not really the place where artists like her or Jae Hyung/ Hyun Sang should go to, because they have a distinct genre

Wahyimo, the judges all agreed Jenny's a good singer but at the same time they all thought her singing was too monotonous. They said they were looking for something special in their prospective K-pop stars and she might be a great Youtube star but not a great K-pop star. Ouch!

If Jenny got dismissed, they really aren't playing around this season. Maybe it wasn't her best stage, but my goodness! Like Wahyimo, about the second chances....are they not going with the yellow elimination cards this time around? So the new format seems to be more direct, honoring the time constraints, more dramatic, and figuratively violent(emotionally)...:) BOA's song - One Dream? How about One Chance!...this season has the "Simon - A.I." element encased all around it.

I also think it's a bit of dilemma for kpop star for the really young ones who auditioned. On one hand they have a lot of potential and fit for training in the 3 companies, but then when they get to live stage it will be very difficult since they're not ready yet.

While for the experienced ones, I think the companies are thinking twice whether they're able to mould them to the company's style and colors.

If they're keeping the high standard of skills too, then some of those they're passing shouldn't have passed ? ( i think there was a young one who had shaky notes - but unsure what the judges said )

I'm not sure the show really knows what they want to be to attract the right kind of contestants.

Based on the audience and Internet response, it looks like the runaway hit of the first episode was the brother-and-sister team ("Naughty Musicians" (악동뮤지션)).

They were really cute and, unusually for KPstar, they made their big impression with a song that the brother wrote ("Don't Cross Your Legs"). I suspect there was a degree of scripting in the judges' reactions and they probably knew what to expect from the song beforehand, but the two young performers did really well and the sister really sparkled with personality.

I'm not sure yet whether that's going to be just a one time hit for them, or if they'll be able to keep coming up with appealing performances in future rounds that don't sound repetitive.

I definitely didn't see anyone who captured my heart like Hayi did in terms of her amazing combination of personality and singing ability. I guess that's to be expected given her uniqueness.

Seeing the simplicity of the performance by the Naughty Musicians, however, made me again think how much I like seeing performers appearing as naturally, relaxed and casual as possible. It was really appealing to see them dressed in the type of comfortable clothes that they wear everyday and without excessive make-up or costuming. I imagine if they make it through to future rounds they'll be put into some fairly outlandish outfits and I'm not sure whether that will work for them. I just look at the fact that they got an overwhelmingly positive response without needing all the make-overs, sequins, glitter and so on and it makes me wonder if all that extra frou-frou is really as necessary as they seem to think in the entertainment biz or if it's sometimes more of a detraction.

And since everything always relates back to Hi / Hayi for me ;o), it made me think about how adorable she looked in the early rounds last year when she wore her comfortable "regular" clothes and had very little makeup and hairwork done on her. It is fun to see her sometimes get all glammed up for her performances, but--if I could have my way--I'd prefer to see the natural, casual Hi more and save the ultra-glam and frou-frou treatment for special occasions.

She's a very talented and unique singer and I think her handlers need to engage in more out-of-the box thinking in terms of image and so on. They may be surprised at what a positive response she'll get based just on her real, natural and casual self.

I saw just a glimpse (video) of her doing recording studio work for the "It's Cold" song and I could see that she was just wearing casual, comfortable street clothes and probably little or no makeup--and to me she always looks her cutest and prettiest that way. (No offense to those who prefer the glam treatment. I can appreciate some variety.)

Incidentally, she did look a bit healthier in her last Inkigayo performance. It does seem like she's had a cold and may be getting over it now.

Whew! I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who had a hard time understanding the lyrics. I thought I was having hearing problems or something and had to go back and listen several times before I could figure out what they were saying. (Whereas JYP seemed to be instantly getting every punchline.)

They did sound good together and it was a catchy tune. The content reminds me of silly songs my friends and I used to come up with when I was in middle school about things like "smelly feet" and "lemon pie in the eye" and stuff. Of course, these kids were 10 times better. :o)

Hilee Enamored, I couldn't figure out what they were singing about until they showed the lyrics in replay. could figure out what they were saying. But as the judges said, I think the brother is a good song writer and they seem to have great qualities of a good team.

Wahyimo, I love Two Months! Daeyoon is a good guitarist and also a good singer and I just love Yerim's "foggy" voice. There's something about her voice that is really appealing to me. BTW, you may know this already, but they signed with Yoon Jongshin, the ex-judge of Superstar K.

I think it's the editing. I remembered seeing the original audition of Hayi and the judges reactions were not what it looked like on the tv version. They just cut glimpses of the judges laughing at other times sometimes and put it in. :|

I also hate the editing where they repeat scenes like 2 to 3 times to show a funny scene. Especially when they do that in the middle of a song.